Last Words
by gtgrandom
Summary: ALIE may be defeated, but the Grounders still demand blood. Post-finale. Bellarke.
1. Chapter 1

The war with ALIE was over, but there was still conflict to be resolved. Lots and lots of broiling conflict.

Bellamy watched as Roan, patched up and breathing, raised his arm to silence the Coalition. The twelve clans' representatives quieted, begrudgingly, and they eyed the members of Skaikru with a range of emotions. Mostly hatred, though.

Roan cleared his throat. He would speak for all the Grounders, until the issue of finding the next true Nightblood was resolved. Bellamy wasn't sure if it ever would be, but he wasn't about to bring that to the table. "If we are to welcome the thirteenth clan back into the Coalition, you must be willing to adhere to our laws."

Kane nodded. "Of course. We seek only peace."

"Then you realize that our core principle stands," Roan said, and his cold eyes flickered to Clarke.

Clarke paled beside him, her hand tugging on his sleeve. "Blood must have blood," she breathed, heartache pulsing in her gaze.

Bellamy frowned. He thought they were done with Lexa's old reign. He thought they'd progressed. In fact, he really didn't like the idea of this meeting in the first place. Most of his people and the Grounders had found a common enemy in ALIE, had united. He didn't think as soon as everyone woke up there would be so much blame and confusion.

Then again, they were dealing with people who thought a computer chip held a human spirit. It was only logical they would argue for three whole days about whether or not Skaikru had _possessed_ their villagers.

Kane looked at Clarke, then at Roan. "What is it you want, Azgeda? We are willing to do anything to mend what has been lost."

Roan exhaled, glancing at his fellow leaders once more, as if giving them one last chance to change their minds. "We demand the death of those responsible for the massacre of Heda's army."

Bellamy heard Clarke gasp, saw Kane flinch in his peripheral.

"We don't seek the assassination of 300 of your own. Only the leader who painted our hills red. Then, and only then, shall we have peace."

Bellamy felt the bile rise in his throat.

They deserved justice, he realized that now. Finn killed 18 innocent villagers for Clarke. Pike killed hundreds for…for nothing. But this was war. And war was an endless cycle. Someone had to end the violence.

Clarke opened her mouth. "But Pike is—"

"Not the only one responsible," Bellamy cut in. Pike had died the day ALIE was defeated. But Bellamy hadn't.

Clarke whipped her head towards him, blue eyes wide and horrified. She looked at him like he'd stolen the sun away, ripped out her beating heart. She was warning him, desperately. He turned away.

"If the murderer steps forward, you agree to reinstate Skaikru as the thirteenth clan? You agree to an alliance? You will allow each of us to leave this place unharmed?" he listed.

The room held their breath, and as one, they nodded.

So Bellamy stepped forward.

* * *

 **Just a short little story I'm writing after the somewhat anticlimactic finale.**


	2. Chapter 2

"No!" Clarke cried, seizing his arm, pulling him back.

"Clarke," Bellamy said sternly, but softly, so she would understand. This was his redemption. She saved their people from ALIE. He would keep them safe for as long as possible. His people, his responsibility. "It has to be done."

"No…there's got to be another way," Kane hissed. His eyes were wide, panicked, and Bellamy felt something warm in the place Octavia had left frozen and dead.

"Roan," Clarke growled, pushing past Bellamy angrily. "Roan you promised us you'd protect us. We had a deal."

"I _am_ protecting you, Wanheda. This is a small price to pay for the crimes that have been committed against our people." The King of the Ice Nation leveled his gaze, but there was an innate sorrow there. At least, Bellamy thought so.

"He's right," Bellamy said thickly. Clarke gaped at him, deteriorating. Abby, Murphy, and Kane stared in dismay. But he was finally doing the right thing. This time, he was sure.

Bellamy swallowed, facing the circle of Grounders.

"You'll have your justice. Just let me say goodbye first."

One leader scoffed, teeth sharp, like a wolf. "Why should we? You denied that right to our warriors when you slaughtered them in their sleep."

Others agreed, yelling threats, glowing red.

Bellamy said nothing. He'd come to terms with his mistakes. He wouldn't deny it.

Clarke looked between them, stunned that he wasn't fighting back. "Bellamy is one of the commanders of Skaikru. He deserves this much.

Roan watched the scene unfold, and then his eyes landed on Bellamy. "Very well. You have until tomorrow."

Bellamy breathed out, glad for this moment, for his stomach to uncoil. He turned to Clarke to apologize, but she was already storming out of the room.

* * *

OoO

* * *

Kane stared at him with a mixture of pain and respect.

"This doesn't feel right, Bellamy."

"It is," he said, confident. He wasn't sure how he could be so calm. But he'd been through so much that dying…dying to save the people he loved wasn't hard at all. It was like blinking. Only this time, his eyes would remain closed.

"Tell me you aren't doing this because of Octavia."

Bellamy felt his eyes prickle.

She'd turned her back on him, left without a word, and without an intention of coming back. After everything they'd been through, she still felt like she didn't belong. It broke his heart.

But his heart didn't belong solely to his sister. Not anymore.

"It might have been a factor," Bellamy conceded. "But…if we all only have six months left…our people deserve to live that time in peace. And the Grounders...they deserve justice. I'm doing this because it's the right thing to do."

"Bellamy, I'm…" Kane lowered his eyes, cringing, remembering his hands around Bellamy's neck. After what he'd done under ALIE's control, Bellamy was pretty sure Kane was rocking on the brink of self-loathing and insanity, a place Bellamy was fairly familiar with. He was on a slow road to recovery, like all of them.

"I know," Bellamy said, to spare the words that might push Kane over the edge. "It wasn't your fault. And neither is this."

Kane took him in, a sad smile spreading across his face. "You pulled through, son. I'm proud of you."

Bellamy nodded slightly, his throat tightening. "Take care of them," he pleaded.

Kane bowed his head. He knew exactly what he meant. _Whom_ he meant.

"I will."

* * *

OoO

* * *

Murphy was next. Bellamy was a little disappointed. He'd hoped to see Clarke. He wanted to spend the rest of his short life with her. Even if she was pissed at him. Plus, he wasn't really sure why Murphy wanted to see him in the first place, or what he planned on saying to him at all.

 _Finally? You had it coming, man? I'll see you in hell?_

Probably something along those lines.

The door shut behind him, followed by angry shuffling. "You're a stupid son of a bitch, you know?"

Hey. Pretty close.

"And why's that?"

Murphy let out a mirthless chuckle. "You've finally won this goddamn war. And you're not going to enjoy one bit of it. After everything you sacrificed."

"I didn't fight for a happy ending, Murphy."

"Yeah, yeah. We all know who you were fighting for."

Bellamy frowned, crossing his arms over his chest, because he didn't like where this was going.

Murphy shook his head in disbelief. "You're really going to do this to Clarke?"

"She's…"

"She's losing it right now, is what she's doing," Murphy muttered. "She lost Lexa, and Finn, and Wells, her dad…and now you."

"She'll be fine," Bellamy said, voice low, cracking a little. She had to be fine. Clarke was resilient. She would make it out okay. She always did.

"Blake…you're all she's got. Now that the world's ending, _again_ , we both know she's going to carry that burden, _again_. And now you're going to make her carry it all by herself." Bellamy swallowed, but he remained silent. Murphy rolled his eyes and stalked away. "Forget it. You're still a selfish bastard."

"You've changed, Murphy," Bellamy called after him. "Emori…she's brought out the good in you."

Murphy paused, glancing back over his shoulder.

"Yeah well, she's not the only one."

* * *

OoO

* * *

It took almost an hour before his next visitor. He watched Abby draw closer and recognize the hurt and disappointment on his face, smiling sadly.

"She's just stalling, Bellamy. She'll come around."

He tried to mask his emotion. "To be fair, if things were reversed, I'd be just as angry."

She nodded, sitting down across from him.

"Bellamy, I've never thanked you."

His eyes rose warily, and he frowned in confusion.

Abby scooted to the edge of her seat. She reached out and clutched his knee. "Thank you. For all that you've done for Clarke."

"I haven't—"

She gave him a _look_ , an all-powerful, all-knowing glare, and he swallowed.

"You kept her alive when I couldn't. You went after her when she needed saving. _Every_ time she needed saving. You've done everything you can to protect her—you're still protecting her—and that's all a mother could ever want for her child." There were tears in her eyes, wet, glistening with the same kind of compassion as Kane. Something close to love.

Bellamy didn't know what to say.

He knew he'd always been a criminal in the eyes of Abby Griffin. Their first few encounters, he'd managed to get Clarke into several terrible situations. She'd disapproved of their partnership right off the back; in fact, he was pretty sure she'd assumed they were shacking up at one point or another among all their scheming and planning. But something had changed over the past few months. He wasn't sure when it had happened. Somewhere along the line, she'd begun to trust him, trust him with Clarke.

"You were good for her," she whispered, standing, sweeping her eyes to the door and back. "And, Bellamy. It's not too late."

He watched her leave, his brows drawn together.

Too late for what?

* * *

OoO

* * *

She was angry. She was silent. And Bellamy felt afraid for the first time that day.

"Clarke…"

"Don't… _Clarke_ me, Bellamy," she ground out. Her voice fluctuated. She refused to look at him. "If you were in my shoes there's no way you'd let me do this."

She wasn't wrong. "Come on, Clarke. You know this is the only way."

She crossed her arms. "Then we look for another solution. We can come up with a better plan."

"Our plans always fail. In case you haven't noticed."

Clarke didn't smile that little smile like he'd hoped.

She finally glanced up at him, and her eyes were red, sunken in. "Bellamy, it's a death by a thousand cuts! They're going to torture you like they were going to torture Finn! And you volunteered."

He pressed his lips together, waiting. She wasn't through.

"Back at the dropship, when we were up against the Grounders, you told me we still stood a chance, but _only_ if we put up a fight. You always pushed us to keep fighting. So now, after everything, why are you giving up, Bellamy?"

He swallowed, looking down into her unwavering gaze. "You know why."

"No. I don't. Are you doing this because you think you deserve it? Because you're a good person. You're the best person I know." He shook his head to stop her, but she kept on, like a storm. "Then are you doing it because of Octavia? She's not all you have left, okay? She isn't your only family! We're your family. The 100."

He grinned, reaching out, brushing her hair out of her face. "I know."

They stared at one another, and he couldn't help but think they were both drinking in every detail. Memorizing what they could while they could.

"What am I…" she inhaled sharply, "…what the hell am I going to do without you?"

Bellamy blinked several times, taken aback by her openness. He always assumed his love for her was embarrassingly one-sided. He knew that she cared about him, trusted him, needed him. But this…this felt different.

"What you're going to do is go back to the Ark and take care of our friends," he said slowly. "You're going to search for a place free of radiation. And you're going to pick up one of your pencils and draw something again."

She tried to keep it down, lower lip jutting out, eyebrows raised like that high and mighty princess he'd hated once upon a time. "It won't be the same," she choked. "I need you, Bellamy. I'll _always_ need you."

Tears did fall this time. And he hated watching her cry.

"I'll always _be_ there," he promised, hand falling from her hair to her fist, uncurling her clenched fingers.

She sniffed, staring into his chest with an uncharacteristic emptiness.

He sighed and pulled her into a hug. She pressed her body flush against his, like she wanted to merge into one being, one soul, and never lose him. He breathed her in for the last time.

"You're going to be okay, Clarke."

She shook her head fervently, and he smiled into her hair.

This was the hardest part of dying Saying goodbye to his best friend. To the first person who believed in him, and saw something worth saving. The girl that made everything difficult for him, but who he couldn't imagine life without. This. This was the hardest part.

Several moments later, she hadn't let go of him. He tried to pull away, so he could see her face, but she didn't budge, moved with him, clinging tightly.

"Clarke..."

Shyly, she removed her face from his shoulder, but she didn't back away. She clutched his collar with both hands, stared up at him, eyes swimming. She looked terrified and confident at the same time. It was so damn _Clarke_ , he couldn't take it.

He didn't know who moved first, or if they moved in time, like usual, but her lips were suddenly on his and heat was spreading through his chest like wildfire. He brought his hand to the back of her head, pushing, arching down, and her fingers ghosted through his hair, over his neck. He tasted her tears. Kissed her harder.

He picked her up a little as her knees buckled, sliding her up on the table where he could hold her steady. Nothing had ever felt so right and so fucking sad simultaneously.

He didn't know how long they held each other, sighing into each touch, seeking whatever it was they were seeking. He finally lost track of time. For just a moment, they had an infinite period to finally _feel_ what they'd repressed.

He caressed her wet cheeks, resting his forehead against hers so he could breathe. She trembled. She was crying still. He grazed his nose against hers, brushing his lips against hers again, his brow along her profile. Touching. Urging the tears away.

Nothing needed to be said between them—he understood, and she'd known all along.

He wished he didn't have to let go.

"I'm…sorry," he whispered, his eyes still closed.

Reluctantly, she fell through his fingers, wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry too."


	3. Chapter 3

Bellamy winced as they tied his hands to the posts. He wondered briefly why there was a second post. Maybe someone else had committed mass murder overnight. He wouldn't have been surprised.

He wished he had some of Monty's moonshine right about now. Wished he could have said goodbye to those dorks back at the Ark. His _friends_.

Miller would be pissed. But he'd understand eventually. They all would.

The Grounders weren't as ruthless as they could have been, tying him up. His willingness to die for his people sparked a kind of deference towards him among members of the Coalition. They still wanted to rip him to shreds and feed him to the bugs, but they would do so in a most civil manner.

Bellamy scanned the massive crowd that had gathered. He hoped Clarke wouldn't come. She didn't need to see this. He told Abby to lock her in her room, lock the windows, and she'd smiled that Griffin smile.

They both knew that wouldn't stop Clarke.

And it didn't.

There she was, short and fiery, front and center. She watched him with such helplessness and sorrow he could barely stand to meet her gaze. It hurt to see her hurt, and he willed her to turn away, begged her with his eyes to let him go.

Then she was moving forward, and he was confused.

She marched across the blood-soaked soil, parking in front of him, but there was something off about her. Something very similar to her last interaction with Finn.

He thought back to the words she had uttered the day before— _I'm sorry too_. At the time he hadn't considered what she was sorry for. But now it all made sense.

The hole in his chest swallowed up any hope that remained.

No.

She stood on her toes and kissed his forehead, and then, silently, she positioned herself next to him, at the second post. The Grounders proceeded to bind her to the cross, and Bellamy lost it.

"Clarke!" he barked, straining. Struggling wildly.

"It's not up for debate, Bellamy," she said coldly. Her eyes softened, and she turned to him. "There's nothing left for me if you die…" She swallowed, hair falling into her face in ragged strands. "I love you, and I won't live in a world without you. Okay?"

He stared, and for the first time since his sister disappeared from his life, tears fell from his eyes.

"Clarke think about this. Your mother—"

"She knew what I was thinking from the start, Bell. We were both responsible for what Pike did. We both killed all those people in Mount Weather. And we're going to finish it the way we finish everything. _Together_."

Bellamy stopped struggling. Stunned, he gazed into her face, the face he would die looking at. The stubborn girl he'd fallen in love with. And he was no longer alone.

"Together," he said roughly, and she nodded at him, eyes never drifting away.

The drums began throbbing like a pulse through the crowd, the chants, the ritual...

This was it.

He waited for the pain. The 300 slabs of flesh to be removed from his body.

He flinched against the first incision, smelled the Grounder who inflicted the agonizing wound. But he kept his eyes on Clarke, and her golden hair, and her cloudy blue eyes, and her strength.

Clarke. The woman who would take none of his shit from the very start.

Clarke. The first person who believed he could be something other than a selfish killer.

Clarke. The girl he'd fallen for, despite his resistance.

Clarke. Who wouldn't let him die alone.

"Stop!"

Bellamy tore his eyes from those safe, blue irises to the parting crowd.

A woman strode through the population of Polis, gasps and murmurs and exclamations shadowing her ascent. At first glance, Bellamy thought it was Lexa, back from the dead.

But a moment later, the hood fell from her head, and dark curls unfurled.

Luna.

And behind her, Octavia Blake.

* * *

OoO

* * *

Luna made her way to Clarke and Bellamy, staring at them with that same indifference as before.

"Get them down," she said softly, but it rang through the capitol with an echo.

When no one budged, Roan grinned, as if he'd expected her entrance, and nodded for the two Grounders to abide.

Clarke glanced at Bellamy, then at the heir of the Nightbloods, anticipating her next move warily. As soon as he was free, Bellamy darted to Clarke's side and finished unbinding her. Dazed. Shell-shocked. Elated.

"I am the last Nightblood," Luna announced dryly. "I am the rightful commander of the thirteen clans. Are there any objections?"

Silence breathed over the Coalition.

"Then for my first decree as Heda, I pardon Skaikru."

Bellamy pulled Clarke into his arms, and he met his sister's blank gaze across the courtyard.

She'd known this would happen, known the ways of the clans, so she'd gone straight to Luna for help. She didn't hate him enough to leave him for dead, and that was enough for Bellamy.

Her steely eyes searched his. No apology. No promise to return home. But an undeniable relief. A stashed and buried love, and it patched up the hollow spaces within.

 _O..._

Luna raised her hands. "Let blame fall to the man who gave his life saving our kind from evil. The price has been paid."

"But…blood must have—"

"No," Luna cut in shortly. The word resonated her strength, her authority. "Too much blood has been spilled. These two were willing to die for peace, and that's sufficient. Let us focus on the future, not the sorrows of the past."

Luna glanced back at the two of them, clinging to one another, and nodded once. Her only acknowledgement, and possibly her last.

Slowly, Clarke turned her head to gape at Bellamy, eyes wide.

They stared at one another, taking in reality. They'd both accepted their fates, intertwined and short-lived. Now...

Now...

Clarke smiled, wide, and it had been so long it was almost foreign.

She was so happy, so light. And it was everything.

* * *

OoO

* * *

Luna had saved them in the end. Bellamy wasn't sure what Octavia had done to change her mind. To be honest, he didn't really care what had brought the Nightblood to Polis. He just knew with a leader like her on the throne, there was little to worry about.

And that was _not_ something he was accustomed to.

"Bellamy, stop standing there with your gun out like something's going to jump out of the bushes and attack us."

He snorted and grinned at Clarke. "But this is what I'm good at."

She rolled her eyes, and yet her smile dwindled.

"What is it?"

She inhaled deeply, eyes downcast. "I know…I know we said all those things then, and we…" She might have actually blushed, and Bellamy fell in love with her all over again. "But, I'm…I'm still getting over Lexa, and I'm still grieving, and—"

"Clarke," he interrupted, shaking his head at her. "I know. I know you, and I know you're recovering. There's no rush. There never _has_ been." She looked up, uncertain, guilty. "But I'm here for you. Whenever you're ready."

She nodded, grateful. They stood side by side, facing the Ark.

They braced themselves for another task, yet another world in need of saving. Six months to preserve earth—the biggest challenge yet. Bellamy didn't even know where to start.

But they'd tackle it one step at a time. They'd figure something out, per usual.

For now, Bellamy just…needed a day off.

"I think I could use that drink now," Clarke said finally, reading his thoughts.

Bellamy laughed, and he followed her inside, smiling as Clarke tentatively laced her hand in his —frowning a second later as Monty smirked and Raven handed him a wad of cash.

* * *

 **Woohoo. We've reached the end, guys! Thanks for the awesome response. Sorry it wasn't that long, but if you like this, you can check out my other story of these two, Stung.**

 **And yeah, I'll probably be writing more on Bellarke to feed my starving feels over this hiatus.**

 **May we meet again ;)**

 **-gtgrandom**


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